The illegal-alien licensing loophole

The illegal-alien licensing loophole

Liberty is not a loophole. Gun control laws are all based in the legal principle of Prior Restraint, which is forbidden by the Constitution. What loophole is it that allows that?

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the problem of the “Gun Free Zone” loophole, which disarms the law-abiding (who are a threat to no one and a possible deterrent/protection for innocents) while doing nothing to prevent bad guys and lunatics from carrying and using guns in those areas. Continuing on the theme of loopholes, which is such a popular term among rights restricters, I want to address another dangerous loophole that puts us all at greater risk: the illegal-alien licensing loophole.

Illegal aliens, or undocumented migrants, are people who reside in this country illegally, whether they sneak across the border in the dark of night or overstay a student or tourist visa. There are an estimated 11 to 12 million unauthorized immigrants in this country, and that’s a conservative estimate. Among the many things these people are not supposed to be able to do here is purchase or possess firearms or ammunition. They also are not supposed to vote in our elections.

In recent years, several states have attempted to enact laws requiring voters to provide a government-issued photo ID in order to register or vote as a way to prevent illegal multiple votes, votes from dead people and voting by people who do not have the right to vote, such as unauthorized immigrants. These voter ID laws have been tagged “voter supression” laws and met with lawsuits alleging that they are the equivalent of the Jim Crow era poll tax because, detractors say, the underprivileged and elderly, especially within minority communities, might have problems obtaining a government ID, thus preventing them from voting. At the same time, the same groups – “progressive” Democrats – see nothing wrong with requiring government-issued ID, a raft of intrusive questions, paperwork and a criminal background investigation every time a person wishes to exercise his or her constitutionally guaranteed right to purchase a firearm.

The interesting loophole in all of this is another initiative of the same “progressive” activists in our society: the issuance of driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.

A dozen states currently offer licenses regardless of immigration status, and of course the proponents of this idea object to any suggestion that these driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants include any indication that the holder is not a fully vested citizen with all the rights and privileges of citizenship. They say that providing a license that is any different than a normal driver’s license would be an invasion of the person’s privacy and an invitation for discrimination.